Surveillance Radar Systems and Oilfield Security

Oil is one of the most valuable commodities of our time, and modern technology allows for us to extract it from even the most harsh and remote locations. However, the extraordinary value behind both the machinery needed to drill it and the oil itself require for the oilfields to constantly monitor against attacks or other forms of damage. Unfortunately, the remoteness and size of the facilities present a major challenge with regards to security, but there is a growing technology that is significantly changing this problem: surveillance radar systems.

Overview of Surveillance Radar Technology

Surveillance radar systems work by using radar sensors placed in strategic locations around a facility which pick up activity within their radius. These miniature radar posts can be configured in various different ways, but they have the ability to sense all kinds of movement on the ground around them. This technology has become extremely popular among many types of important industrial and commercial facilities, and it’s especially useful to those sites that are spread over a massive range, but still have the need for high security.

Why Surveillance Radar Systems are a Good Match for Oilfields

There are numerous reasons why surveillance radar is crucial for oilfield security, and they include saving costs, increasing the quality of security, and being able to function in a wide variety of conditions. The extraordinary expenses involved in the machinery on an oilfield make it absolutely necessary to invest in a security system that is capable of protecting them from both man-made and natural dangers. Also, it’s becoming increasingly common for thieves to take any valuable pieces from oilfield equipment, such as copper piping and solar panels. Additionally, the potential for environmental damage raises the stakes significantly, and it makes it too costly for any company to use anything except the most state-of-the-art protection systems.

Keeps Working through All Weather

Since oil fields often happen to be inconveniently located in areas with unfavorable weather conditions, the natural environment becomes a huge factor in security. However, poor weather makes security become an even higher priority for oilfields because this is a time when any attackers, whether they’re intentional or unintentional, have an advantage. While human security guards are generally limited to what they can see during this sort of weather, surveillance radar can see through all types conditions, even wind, rain, and snow.

Saves Cost on Traditional Security

Traditional security guards are a significant expense at large facilities, and they can often cost $300,000 per year for a single guard. Obviously, this number increases with the more guards that are needed, so any system that can lower this is extremely beneficial. Fortunately, surveillance radar systems make it possible to have a more secure oilfield with less people physically protecting it. The radar systems are constantly scanning the areas of interest, and they can notify a much smaller group of guards to handle any movement that is detected.

Auto-Cueing Speeds up Response

One of the major benefits of surveillance radar is that the equipment has the ability to detect movement. This allows security personnel to know exactly where the threat is, and just as importantly, where it isn’t. Then, they’re able to go to the exact location of the danger without wasting any time. Also, the radar can be distributed in a way that enables it to address issues before they become problems. For example, rather than waiting till an intruder enters a facility, the radar can scan areas outside of the perimeter which allows guards to be waiting for anyone before they even get inside.

Save on Storage Space

Another advantage of surveillance radar is that it doesn’t include overwhelming amounts of needless data. Other forms of surveillance, such as video cameras, require constant recording which has to be stored and sifted through when searching for something. Radar allows for the possibility to only record when something happens, so there is a much smaller burden of storage space needed. This can save time and money over the long term.

Radar Surveillance Can Cover Wide Ranges

Another major benefit of radar is that it doesn’t just scan the perimeter of the facility that it’s in place to protect. It can be set up in a way which allows for it to cover areas both inside and outside of a fence, and this gives security personnel a comprehensive picture of exactly what’s happening in the whole area.
Additionally, surveillance radar systems require a minimum amount of equipment to cover extremely large areas. For this reason, it’s able to watch over massive facilities, as well as infrastructure that covers a wide area, such as pipelines. However, it is still easy to manage the whole system because of cost and storage space issues that were already mentioned.